Crystal Castle
by Lamia of the Dark
Summary: Oneshot. Sequel to Roses. This is Bella's version of Glass Houses. It is very different from the Voldemort version because we are seeing Bella's thoughts and feelings during the encounter. Even the actions are perceived differently.


**DISCLAIMER: All things Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling.**

**Dedicated to Excessively Complex (I still blame you) and Vyren Rolar (who begged for more).**

-- Crystal Castle --

- Glass Houses: Bella's Version -

It took me only a few days to find the answer. I figured out the anagram, as well. I should be happy. I _was_ happy. I was so excited to have discovered the information so quickly.

But now that I am here, I don't even want what I came here _for_. That desire has been driven completely out of my mind by the scene I stumbled onto on my way here.

Even as I am explaining to my lord how I found the answer he'd asked for, I feel numb to my current situation. My eyes are open, but instead of him all I can see is that horrible scene playing over and over in my memory.

I feel something brush against my face and I jump, startled by the sudden touch. I focus on the world in front of me and see that my lord is looking at me with an expression that I can't read.

"You were miles away," he says softly. "What is bothering you?"

"I-" I falter. I have to tell him the truth. If I lie, he will know. I take a deep breath and start again. "I just found out that Rodolphus has been lying to me and cheating on me."

My lord looks at me with raised eyebrows.

"Glass houses, Bella..."

I can clearly hear the note of amusement in his voice at this revelation and I lose my temper completely.

"_I NEVER LIED TO HIM ABOUT IT._" Before I can control myself, I am shouting at the top of my lungs. "_HE KNEW, I __**TOLD**__ HIM!_"

Inside my mind I am screaming at myself to be quiet. The last thing I want right now is to make my lord angry with me!

I desperately swallow back my anger and try to explain, "What he's done is different. It's... it..." But I can't find the words with which to explain. Tentatively, I hold my hands out to him. "Here, let me show you."

Physical contact isn't actually necessary, but I know that it makes it easier for him to gain access. Right now I just want him to hold me, no matter what the pretense...

He takes me into his arms without hesitation. My arms are trapped against his chest. My fingers clench in the fabric of his robes and I bury my face against his shoulder. He places one hand at the small of my back and brings the other up to cup the back of my neck. I can't help wishing that he would _really_ hold me, that he would hug me... but of course he doesn't. I take a shaky deep breath and open my mind to him, guiding him to a certain memory.

_"Don't you __**dare**__!" Narcissa's voice shrieks. "You're going to get yourself __**killed**__!"_

_The answering voice is too muffled for me to make out the words, but I recognize it as belonging to Rodolphus._

_I'm overhearing the fight through a wall, and it takes me a moment to realize that the room on the other side of the wall is mine._

_Narcissa is shouting again. "You can't just walk up to the Dark Lord and ask him to please quit screwing your wife!"_

_Again, I can hear that a reply is made, but I can't make out any words._

_I know I shouldn't eavesdrop, but it's me they're talking about in there... Curiousity gets the better of me and I sneak around to the door to see what's going on._

_"Don't do anything stupid like trying to protect her. She can take care of herself and she knows what she's doing." Narcissa's voice has lost the sense of panic it held earlier and she is speaking softly now. "I don't want you to get hurt. I don't know what I would do without you." _

_I am startled and confused when I hear this. I think that maybe what she meant to say is that she doesn't know what **I** would do without him.__ That thought is shattered as quickly as it forms._

_Narcissa lays her hands on Rodolphus's chest and leans against him._

_"You are Draco's father, after all. I couldn't bear to lose you."_

_He's **what**? Oh, hell no... I want to kill them. I want to kill them both right now. I am actually reaching for my wand when I realize how stupid that would be. Unless I can kill them both with one curse, I'm likely to end up dead myself if I try it..._

_Rodolphus wraps his arms around Narcissa and says, "You'd still have Lucius."_

_Narcissa makes a derisive sound. "I barely have Lucius now."_

_Rodolphus sighs heavily. "You know your sister thinks I love her. I don't want to do anything to endanger that illusion."_

_"That doesn't mean you have to go and do something stupid to demonstrate your 'love'. You don't even really care whether she's doing it or not."_

_"Of course I care whether she's doing it or not."_

_A brief glimmer of false hope is extinguished by my sister's next words._

_"Right. Because if she is, it means you get a break from her trying to get __**you**__ into bed with her."_

The scene ends abruptly. I got out of there pretty fast, because I didn't think I could have stood to hear any more.

"I didn't hang around after that," I mumble, not lifting my head. I'm shielding my mind hard, and hoping he will not try to break in to see what I am guarding. I wait, but he doesn't try to probe my mind.

Or speak.

Or move.

I can feel the tears starting to flow, but I can't stop myself from crying. I hate it. I don't want to cry in front of him, to let him see me being so weak and emotional, but it is too late. I'm sure he's noticed by now, but he isn't reacting at all... maybe he doesn't _know_ what to do...?I lift my head and slide my arms around his neck. I feel him shift his hold to accommodate the new position.

I'm sure he doesn't know the full story, so I guess I'd better explain.

"He was supposed to marry my sister," I whisper.

"Narcissa?" he asks in surprise.

"No, my _other_ sister," I answer, "the traitor, the tramp who ran off with a Mudblood." He seems surprised by that, and I wonder if he ever knew that there _was_ another sister.

I snuggle closer to him and am pleasantly surprised when he closes his arms more firmly around me. Maybe he _is_ trying to comfort me...?

"I was engaged to his brother," I continue. I don't know how much of this my lord already knows, so I figure I'd better tell him everything. "After my sister ran off, Rodolphus fought his brother for me. He fought his brother, _dueled him_, and won. He told me that even though he was engaged to my sister, he'd fallen in love with me. He told me that _and I believed him_." Oh, I was so naive back then! How could I have fallen for such a cheap trick? We'd only met each other a couple of times at that point. "My parents didn't care which brother I chose. Either way, it would be a respectable pureblood marriage." I would have been better off with my original fiance, with whom I had at least known what I was getting into. "Narcissa always belonged to Lucius. They were married earlier than they planned... and Draco was born seven months after the wedding. Lucius has always believed Draco was his. Arrogant git that he is, he must have thought he was too handsome for Narcissa's attention to stray..." I cling tightly to him for a moment, choking back sobs. "Why did I believe him when he said he loved me, _why_...? What _was_ I to him all this time? Second best? His last chance for a respectable pureblood marriage? A way to stay close to my sister without arousing suspicion?" I can't hold it back anymore. I bury my face against his neck and sob uncontrollably.

After a moment he starts to speak, but I cry out, "No!" He stops, startled. "Don't lie to to me," I plead. "Don't tell me it will be alright, because it _won't_. Don't tell me that this is for the best, because it _isn't_. Please don't lie to me. _You_, at least, have never lied to me before."

"I've lied to you before," he says, sounding confused and somehow amused at the same time.

A bitter laugh escapes me. "Not this kind of lie."

I know he's lied to me before, of course, but it was never anything personal. My lord has never used lies to manipulate my feelings. (Of course, he knows that I would do anything for him, follow any order without hesitation, so he's never needed to resort to things like that.)

I've let my shields slip and I can sense him feeling around in my mind, looking for answers. He is dangerously close to discovering my secret, the one thing I have _always_ kept from him. I throw up the strongest shields I can muster, forcing him out.

But it already too late. I'm sure that he has seen it. What will he do now that he knows...?

"Try to stop crying," he says softly.

I laugh through my tears. "You're really bad at this, you know?" I say, sniffling. "Comforting people, I mean." Probably not the smartest thing to say given the current situation, but I never did know when to keep my mouth shut...

He doesn't reprimand me for being out of line, just seems relieved that I've calmed down a bit.

"You're staying here tonight," he says (as if I'd _want_ to go back to my own room after what I've just found out!), surprising me by scooping me up into his arms.

He carries me over the bed, where sets me down gently. He lays down beside me, so close that we are almost touching, but not quite. He does not reach out to me and I do not reach out to him. Although I want to, I do not think he would tolerate it. I wipe the last tears from my face and close my eyes. I can feel his warm breath on my neck as I drift off to sleep...

-end-

**A/N: and now you know what happened between the ending of Glass Houses and the beginning of As Blood Calls/Snakescale and Spiderstring.**

**A/N: Reviews are love. -.-' Except when they are hate.**


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